US 'watching closely' after plague researcher dies in Russia
US officials are monitoring the situation in Russia following the death of a lab technician at a plague research center in Siberia. While there are concerns regarding potential pathogen exposure, Russian authorities maintain there is no emergency.
Why it matters
The incident involves potential biosafety risks and international diplomatic attention regarding public health transparency.
Image source, EPA Image caption, Donald Trump says the US was looking "very strongly" at the case but had not discussed it with the Kremlin
President Donald Trump says the US is looking "very strongly" at the case of a Russian lab technician who died at a plague research centre in Siberia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was watching closely amid concerns the incident could lead to the spread of pneumonic plague, but there was no cause for alarm.
Announcing the cause of death as "pneumonia of undetermined etiology", Irkutsk's governor said "no micro-organisms" linked to the woman's work had been found "in her biological samples".
Unconfirmed reports suggested the woman fell ill either after breaking a test tube containing the pathogen or following a field trip to a region where plague occurs naturally among wild rodents.
Also covering this story
10 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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